I’ve been meaning to post far more frequently with updates on how bike commuting is going and interesting highlights of tools and tricks that help me. But, I am (often, not always) busy and stressed as a solo working mom. I fell asleep last night around 9 and was wide awake by 3. Good news? I can get back to the blog. Last week included two successful round trips to work/daycare, both days on the “old bike.” H has named our mountain bike “old bike” and our Radrunner Plus e-bike “new bike”. And he has preferences! And they change. Back to the thread though. Last week felt VERY successful with two full days of only bikes. My end goal is to bike commute at least 4 days/week as well as some nearby errands after work or on the weekends.
This week has already started with a bust: a flat tire! When I parked my bike in an unused room at work, no less! I walked into the room at the end of a long and tiring work day (they’re all long and tiring, but usually pretty good too) and found (the horrors!) a flat front tire, and nearby the culprit: a rogue push pin on the floor. Never thought I’d need to scan interior rooms before pulling up, but I suppose there’s a lesson in here. Another lesson will be actually replacing tubes myself, but as mentioned earlier, I’m busy and stressed and my bike could use a full tune up anyways, so I’ll drive to work today and cart it over to the shop after.
So, the weekly tally for the last 2 weeks is 2 days of round-trip bike commuting + 1 1-way trip. On my recent rides, it has struck me that this is likely the last year I’ll be able to bike commute regularly, if at all, so I need to squeeze in as much two-wheeling as possible. H is growing, albeit slower and less than most of his age-mates (more stress, more momming), but he will, eventually, outgrow the child seat on back. I’m disinclined to switch to a trailer for him for safety and togetherness reasons. H is already outgrowing the love of riding on the back, cue tears. He now at times says he doesn’t want to ride on my bike because he wants to ride HIS red bike. I can’t imagine trying to make those miles on preschool peddle pace, so my bike it is for now. In addition to H possibly outgrowing the child carrier some day, I think once he starts kindergarten, the schedule may end up just harried enough that it pushes the longer bike commute out of range. And that is true sadness for me. Who ever designed the school schedule/work schedule system? Definitely not a single parent of young children. At least not one without unlimited funds.
But for now, I’ll enjoy every chance I get to ride free. Despite the stressors, rushing, and continuous mom guilt about everything, I am 100% satisfied with my life every time I’m bike commuting with my little sidekick. We have conversations about everything we see. H waves to the construction workers along the way (huge smiles all around). I feel alive and free and happy. Gotta make this year count.
